First Times
by Mai Sode no Shirayuki
Summary: The first time Neji intentionally kneeled to someone, it was to the pink-haired medic nin. Neji&Sakura pairing,sweet fluff and romance between the stoic Hyuuga and our favourite medic nin kunoichi!


_**Hey everyone! This is my first Naruto fanfic! And thanks to some talented authors, I have fallen in LOVE with the Neji/Sakura pairing so I decided to do a oneshot about them!**_

_**So tell me if you like it and if i should keep writing! Please review, they really help encourage me! Thanks!**_

**_I do not own Naruto or any of the characters T.T_**

_The first time she heard about him, she was less than interested; a six year old had better things to think about._

Her parents had set up a play date with the heiress Hyuuga Hinata, who was the same age as their pink-haired daughter. Sakura was excited to finally have a friend her age, since most of her young life was spent alone.

Hinata had brought her toys and she and Sakura both made their way into the back yard while the adults chatted in the house. The two girls frolicked around in the field of daisies, innocently bonding as six-year olds were bound to do. After chasing the brilliantly hued butterflies around the expanse of the Haruno's well kept back yard, the girls flopped to the ground, exhausted, mindful of their colourful kimonos.

Sakura had questioned her mother's decision of making her wear a kimono to a play date, receiving a 'do what you're told' look in the process. But of course, the Hyuugas were a prominent clan in the village, and while the Harunos had a formidable reputation as well, there was no harm in being friendly with one of the most powerful shinobi clans in Konoha.

The fast-becoming friends began playing with their respective dolls, sharing knowledge of the dolls' names and ages. Sakura quickly noticed that all Hinata's dolls had the lavender pupils of the Hyuugas. Hinata giggled as she explained.

"My mother had them made specially for me! They're s'posed to be my family" she said proudly.

"Here's otou-san, okaa-san, and me!" she laid the dolls side by side, the Hinata doll in the middle of her parents.

"Wow! They're so cool Hinata-chan!! I wish I had my family in dolls too!" she exclaimed. "But you forgot one Hinata-chan! Who's this doll s'posed to be?" the pinkette pointed to a boy-doll, the only one without a smile.

"Oh that's my cousin Neji. I used to call him nii-san but he doesn't come to play anymore, not since he started going to the academy" Hinata frowned slightly, a sad look in her beautiful eyes.

And Sakura was too intent on cheering up her new best friend to think about this Neji person.

_The first time she saw him, her thoughts were on someone else._

"Oh Hinata! He's so handsome!! His hair looks so silky and ooooh his eyes! And i swear he looked at me today!" Sakura gushed as she walked home with her best friend.

They were walking home after their first day of the ninja academy, a day the eight-year olds had been looking forward to for ages.

Hinata smiled good-naturedly at her friend, but she had hardly noticed the young Uchiha boy at all that day. Her attention had been captured by another classmate, a more...colourful classmate.

"If only that Ino-pig girl would just leave Sasuke-kun alone! I mean anyone can tell how much she annoys him!"

The two girls had reached the Hyuuga compound by now and stopped to say their goodbyes. Sakura hugged the Hyuuga heiress and said cheerfully.

"See you tomorrow Hina-hime!"

And the both girls had jumped to a loud thumping noise that came from behind the gate of Hinata's home. Curiosity overcoming them, they rushed past the gates skidding to a halt in the Hyuuga front courtyard.

A young boy, perhaps nine on ten, was tensed in a fighting stance, chakra molded around his form, moving rapidly in circular motion. Hinata's father flickered around the boy, moving so fast that the girls could barely see him, throwing kunai at the chakra enveloped boy. Hinata motioned for her friend to follow her back outside.

"That's Neji nii-san. He's going to be assigned to a genin team soon and father says he must make the Hyuuga proud. But he's a genius so he doesn't have to worry."

Eight-year old Sakura frowned slightly and replied.

"A genius? Sasuke-kun's a genius! I bet your nii-san isn't as smart as he is!"

And peaceful little Hinata hadn't wanted to start a fight with her tempestuous best friend and therefore simply smiled, in what Sakura assumed was agreement.

_The first time he spoke to her, his cold voice was wrapped around an insult_

"He's gone. He's gone...." the words left her lips like a broken mantra as she sat in the middle of training grounds three, fists curled around her head.

Sakura was in turmoil. She hadn't slept for days. She could talk to no one.

Sasuke had left. Against all her efforts to make him stay in Konoha, with his friends, his team, he had left, preferring to go with the snake-traitor, Orochimaru.

The heartbreak was almost too much for her thirteen-year old heart to bear. No one understood her pain, passing it off as a silly crush, but that stage of her life had passed. She no longer deluded herself with thoughts of Sasuke in a romantic sense. Instead, what tore at her was the loss of a teammate.

After all that team seven had been through together, sacrifices, risk of life to protect each other. He still attempted to break all ties with the village, going so far as to try to take Naruto's life. But ties like theirs could never be broken and that fact gave Sakura small comfort.

She sobbed quietly as she foresaw that it would be many years before Sasuke would be back in the village and Naruto would have his peace of mind.

An emotionless voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Why are you here so late?"

The pink-haired kunoichi looked up to see a stoic Hyuuga standing in front of her. She made no move to respond and instead looked away into the darkness of the forest.

"Are you crying? Pitiful. Shinobi must not show emotion." He said tonelessly, his voice neither changing in pitch nor volume.

"You are weak." He said, waiting for a reaction. The reaction he received was not the one he expected.

Sakura smiled and turned to face Hyuuga Neji.

"I know. But I'm ready to change that." Her quiet voice was filled with determination as she got up and walked away, leaving an emotionless Hyuuga in her wake.

_The first time Sakura pulled back a patient from the brink of death, his name was Hyuuga Neji._

"Haruno-san! Haruno-san! ANBU team coming in! Three severely injured!"

The pink-haired medic-nin was at the stretchers in the blink of an eye.

"Page Tsunade-sama immediately! Shizune-san take charge of Shiranui-san please! Someone read the stats!"

"Shiranui-san has internal bleeding in his abdomen, Inuzuka Hana-san received several shuriken wounds as well as ripped arteries"

"Ok send her to room seven, that's Tsunade's specialty! What's the last patient?"

"Hyuuga Neji, unknown poison flowing through 80% of his body."

Sakura's face set into a grim line as she recognized the third patient. She had no hesitations as she ordered the assistant medic to wheel him to room six. If it was one thing Haruno Sakura knew, it was her poisons.

It took Sakura five hours to stabilize Neji's vital signs. Five long hours of chakra manipulation and only then was Sakura confident that all traces of poison had been removed. All that was left to do now was to pump chakra into his body at 2 hour intervals, a task that any low-level medic was capable of performing.

And yet, severely chakra depleted as she was, Haruno Sakura insisted on being the medic in charge until Hyuuga Neji was released from the hospital.

And as she sat at the side of his hospital bed, placing a damp cloth on his pale forehead, she could not answer the question of why? Just why did Hyuuga Neji's case matter so much that she would not rest until he was discharged from the hospital, though she knew his life was out of danger.

And Sakura could not answer herself.

_The first time Sakura received ANBU summons, the mission scroll named Hyuuga Neji as ANBU captain._

It was a simple recon mission, all she had to do was infiltrate the women's quarters in the daimyo's house and retrieve information. Simple, simple. At least that's what she repeated to herself to repress the flock of butterflies that currently resided in her stomach.

It didn't help that the Hyuuga was reputed to be a slave driver of a captain, and hated newbies on his squads. And it definitely didn't help that she had overheard a conversation between the 'beloved' Captain and her shishou.

Apparently, the Hyuuga didn't consider Sakura good enough to be a part of his team. And she was determined to prove him wrong! She would show him just how kick ass Haruno Sakura could be!

But the mission turned out to be anything but simple. The daimyo had several S-class nukenin friends who were all guests at his home. Inevitably, Sakura had gotten hurt, when one of the shinobi had sensed her chakra signature. She had to hold off 4 of them, while she awaited help from her team.

By the time Neji had killed the last nin, with a stunning display of his gentle fist, three shuriken were embedded deeply into the young pink-haired kunoichi's back and she was bleeding out profusely.

The chakra depleted nin had collapsed in her captain's arms and smiled wanly at him.

"I guess I proved you right Hyuuga-san. I'm not fit to be on your team after all." She rasped out weakly, slipping on the brink of consciousness.

"Baka.... you're too good for the team...."

_The first time Sakura went to a club, Hyuuga Neji was unwillingly dragged along._

For shinobi, making it to eighteen was a significant feat. Sakura supposed that was why her friends were making such a big deal of her birthday.

All of the shinobi around their age had been invited by Hinata and Naruto to celebrate their best friend's birthday at the fancy dance club in Konoha. Even though Sakura had specifically stated that she didn't want an extravagant party.

And so that was how Sakura found herself seated on a plush velvet seat, surrounded by her friends and fellow shinobi, listening to the latest music pulsing around her. Hinata had all but kidnapped her from the hospital, appalled that she had been working on her birthday, and forced her into an emerald green, haltered, mid thigh length dress.

And of course, the cherry blossom looked gorgeous. With her petite shape and kunoichi physique, her exotic hair and eyes and well defined features, Sakura was a knockout. They had only been at the club for an hour and Sakura had lost count of how many men hay asked her to dance. The same number, she had politely declined.

And Sakura glanced at the Hyuuga ANBU captain sitting stoically in between his two teammates, and wondered what he was doing there. She supposed his headstrong teammate TenTen had dragged him along. And she realized she was staring and blushed, quickly looking away. She hadn't spoken to him since her first, disastrous ANBU mission.

Despite herself, Sakura really began to enjoy herself, at least until all of her friends began to pair off and make their way to the dance floor. She had never really liked dancing and so firmly remained in her seat. Kiba made his way over to her a predatory grin on his face.

"Hey Sakura! Happy Birthday" he said enthusiastically, leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek.

Sakura gazed at him warily and replied " Thank you Kiba."

"Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight Sakura? In fact, you're the only thing a guy can see when her walks into this place!"

Sakura laughed blissfully as she realized Kiba's intent. He was trying to flirt with her!

"Thanks for the compliment Kiba, but you're not getting me to dance with you!"

The brown-haired nin pouted adorably and then shrugged and flashed her a smile, getting up and walking over to a group of girls at the bar. Sakura watched as he walked off, laughing lightly at his antics.

Her laugh cut off abruptly when she felt an imposing presence in front of her.

"Happy Birthday Sakura" Hyuuga Neji's cool baritone sounded as he slipped into the seat Kiba had just vacated.

"Thank you Hyuuga-san." She replied smiling at the tall ANBU captain. The handsome long-haired man frowned.

"Neji."

"I'm sorry what?"

"My name is Neji. Don't friends call each other by their first names?" he inquired, a slight quirk of his lips a sign of his amusement.

Sakura laughed in response, her eyes twinkling in joy.

"Indeed they do Neji! So that means we're friends now huh?"

He sent a sidelong glance in her direction, his smile becoming more obvious.

"Yes Sakura, I would assume so."

And so Haruno Sakura became friends with Hyuuga Neji.

_The first time Neji touched her, Sakura thought something was wrong with her._

Sakura grimaced as she entered the crowded club, dragged by none other than the pig (Ino). The loud techno music pulsed throughout the building, drowning out any attempts at conversation. People were packed anywhere and everywhere possible, and the rank, sweaty smell that hung in the air almost made Sakura gag.

She wanted to go home and curl up on her sofa with the new book she had recently bought. Time off were hard to come by and she didn't want to waste it in this overcrowded hell hole that Ino considered fun.

But what could she say? She was a big softie. So when Ino had come over stating that she needed to go out after her big break up with Sai that afternoon, Sakura just couldn't say no to her friend's sad look.

So she found herself sitting on a barstool, listening to her friend order some fruity cocktail from the bartender. But Sakura was going to need a lot more alcohol than that to get through the night!

"Vodka and Cranberry please!"

"Wow take it easy forehead! I don't want to have to drag a drunk home tonight!" Ino said

"Oh please Ino! You know how well I can hold my alcohol! I won't get drunk from this!" Sakura scoffed.

But then, their conversation was abruptly ended as a blonde-haired guy approached Ino and asked her to dance. (She obviously accepted)

Sakura sighed as she sat on the stool, sipping her drink. She was so lost in her own world that she failed to notice the dark-haired shinobi making his way over to her.

"Sakura-san! How nice to see you here!" he said, smiling brighty.

The cerise haired beauty looked at him with a confused expression, her brow furrowed. "Do I know you?" she asked with a frown.

"The young man was not deterred. He smiled and replied. "You treated me last week at the hospital...Kasanoda Arai."

Sakura searched her memory, but she just could not remember this man! But that was no surprise, as she treated hundreds of patients each week. So she smiled politely at him and replied.

"I'm sorry Kasanoda-san, I really can't recall..."

"Oh it's no problem! We can always get reacquainted...on the dancefloor!"

Sakura sighed inwardly. The boy was nothing if persistent, she had to give him credit for that. But could he not take a hint?

"I'm sorry Kasanoda-san but I'm afraid my drink is quite full yet." She replied a slight smile on her face as she congratulated herself for her excuse.

But the boy refused to give up! "Well then, I'll just have to wait till you're done!" he smiled before walking off to sit at a table where he had a clear view of Sakura.

She sighed in exasperation and was about to move from that seat when she noticed someone move to stand next to her. A long, dark haired, silver eyed someone.

Sakura let her eyes travel over Hyuuga Neji's tall, handsome figure. It was the first time she had seen him in civilian clothes...and damn did he look hot! Dressed in all black, with the first two buttons of his shirt undone, the man looked like a Greek God personified! And his long, silky chocolate brown hair had Sakura itching to trail her fingers through it.

_Damnit! Why am I thinking about ice-cube Hyuuga like this? Get a grip Sakura!!_ She scolded herself. A light blush rose on her face and she thanked the heavens that the club was dark.

"Neji-san," she smiled at him.

"How are you Sakura?" he turned to face her, seated on the stool next to her. (His face as expressionless as ever)

"I'm beginning to think you enjoy coming to these clubs Neji-san!" she teased him lightly, finishing her drink.

Neji frowned and replied "Not really, but TenTen does and she drags me along with her."

Sakura's face fell slightly at this. She should have known he would have a girlfriend. Guys like him were never single. He was almost perfect; devastatingly handsome, well-mannered, a gentleman.

Sakura turned away from Neji, and her eyes fell on something that made her curse in exasperation. Kasanoda Arai was making his way over to her, having noticed that she was finished with her drink.

Neji noticed her discomfort and eyed her questioningly.

She shook her head and said "some people just don't know when to quit!" she tilted her head in Arai's direction. Neji looked at the determined man approaching her and his lips set into a grim line.

Possible excuses to refuse Arai ran through Sakura's mind...and then her mind went blank.

One minute, she was sitting on her stool, a Hyuuga next to her. The next she knew, strong arms were around her, pressing her lightly onto the counter behind her. Neji's hair tickled her bare neck and his hot breath washed over her sensitized ear. She could feel the hard muscles that rippled beneath his clothes.

"Play along Sakura" he whispered to her and all Sakura could do was nod and try to remember to breathe.

Her heart beat rapidly against her ribcage and her skin felt hot, burning almost. Not to mention her chakra was flaring like crazy! She had never experienced this before! What was wrong with her? Why was she feeling this way?

And then Neji released her and sat down. "I think he got the hint" he stated.

Sakura blushed as she heard his deep voice and her entire body felt as if it were on fire. She needed to get out of there and figure out what was wrong with her before she embarrassed herself! She quickly thanked the Hyuuga and said goodbye, fleeing the club and completely forgetting about Ino in the process.

She left so fast, she failed to notice the smirk on the face of the Hyuuga.

And when Sakura got home, she ran a full chakra scan on her body, and to her surprise found nothing wrong. But that burning feeling did not go away for days, and at any mention of the pale-eyed ANBU captain, a red tinge never failed to appear on her cheeks.

_The first time she lost her temper at the Hyuuga, he kissed her._

Sakura was angry. She was more than angry. And the reason for her anger was lying on a hospital bed in front of her.

Hyuuga Neji had been signed into the hospital, suffering from severe exhaustion, after he was found collapsed on the training grounds. He had just returned from a three day mission, during which he had allowed his body no sleep, and then he had insisted that her needed to train.

The over exertion was too much, even for a Hyuuga.

This was the fourth time for the month that Neji had been in the hospital for varying levels of exhaustion and chakra depletion.

So Sakura was exasperated. She felt like punching something (or someone). And she found herself questioning her reasons. Why was she so upset and concerned that the Hyuuga continued to over work his body?

_I'm always concerned for the health and well-being of my friends!_ She answered her thoughts.

But as of now, she was giving the Hyuuga the silent treatment. Since she had stepped into his room, she hadn't spoken to him or looked him in the eyes.

"Sakura..." he said, his voice low and exhausted.

"I'm not speaking to you Neji-san" she replied emotionlessly.

Then she changed her mind.

"Actually I will talk to you! No I'm going to shout at you! You...you...bastard!" she looked at him, her voice rising steadily in volume with each word.

"Do you know what will happen to you if you keep abusing your body this way? Do you want to die at a young age? Do you want your chakra pathways to be permanently damaged?" she was practically shouting now, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Do you like seeing the hospital so much?" she questioned, finally looking into his eyes.

She gasped as she saw his emotions displayed clearly in those silvery orbs. He had never let his guard down so much before.

Neji sat up on the bed and she made a sound of protest, moving forward to place her hands against his chest , preparing to push him back. And then, with a move as swift as lightning, he grabbed her wrists, pulling her closer to him, so their faces were less than an inch apart.

Verdant orbs stared into silver, and Sakura felt her breath whoosh out of her body.

Neji looked deeply into her eyes, and one hand moved up to caress her cheek lightly before he whispered, "Ever thought that maybe it's not the hospital I like to see so much?"

And before she even had time to think, or respond in any way, Neji leaned in, closing the distance between them and gently pressed his lips against hers.

His kiss was soft, unhurried and conveyed so much emotions, that Sakura felt light headed. If Neji's arms weren't wrapped so tightly around her, she was sure she would have collapsed to the floor.

_The first time Neji willingly kneeled to someone, it was to the petite, pink-haired medic-nin._

"Sakura, hey Sakura..." Neji's soft, low voice whispered in the pinkette's ear.

The kunoichi sighed contently, feeling the warmth from his body as his arms wrapped around her.

The two were currently lying on the grass outside the Hyuuga compound, gazing up at the stars. Neji's chin rested lightly on Sakura's hair, and her eyes were closed as she hummed in absolute contentment.

"Sakura..." Neji spoke again, his breath tickling Sakura's scalp. The sound of his voice was so enticing, all she wanted to do was kiss him, but she was too comfortable in his embrace to even think of moving. But Neji nudged her slightly and she opened her eyes, tilting her head to look at him.

"Sit up for a second please, love" he whispered.

Sakura thrilled at the endearment that fell from his lips, but she refused to move. She pouted and replied "No!"

Since the start of their relationship, Neji had corrected all her wrongful assumptions about him. Everyone believed the Hyuuga to be cold and emotionless and incapable of affection.

But oh how wrong had she been! In fact, Neji was the most affectionate person she knew! His little affectionate gestures and loving glances always made her blush and her heart rate increase rapidly. And he never failed to voice the extent of his love for her, and then, all that love was conveyed in each breath taking kiss shared between the young couple.

The relationship wasn't perfect. They had their arguments like every other couple. Mostly arguments centred around Neji's over protectiveness, when he refused to allow Sakura to go on dangerous missions. And Sakura would argue that she was not a piece of fragile porcelain. She was a kunoichi and she would do her job.

She always won that argument, and would cause Neji to worry, for the duration of her mission, for the safety of his beloved.

Many times Sakura would ask herself how in the world did she fall in love with Hyuuga Neji? They had never been more than acquaintances and had hardly spoken to each other. And when she voiced this to her soulmate, her would only smirk at her, causing her to suspect that maybe the Hyuuga genius had planned their relationship long before it actually happened!

Sakura was jolted back to the present as she felt a tickling sensation in her sides. That bastard! He knew her weakness and was taking full advantage of it! Sakura fell into fits of uncontrollable giggles as talented fingers attacked all her most ticklish spots, forcing her to sit up.

Then, he stopped. Neji moved off the blanket to stand in front of where Sakura was sitting, only to hold her hands and pull her to stand with him. He tilted her chin and kissed her deeply, causing her eyes to flutter shut and her heart to beat faster.

He gently broke the kiss, pulling away from her slightly. Sakura's eyes were still shut and she was still a bit unsteady on her feet.

"Sakura, I want to ask you a question." Neji whispered in her ear.

It took Sakura several attempts to find her voice, before she could answer him " Go ahead" she breathed back.

And she felt his warmth leave her as he released her from his embrace. She made a soft sound of protest that caused a smug smile to grace Neji's face. He took one step backward and looked deeply into her eyes.

Sakura's eyes widened as her silver-eyed love slowly lowered himself to kneel on the dewy grass. Her brain still fuddled from the kiss attempted to figure out what he was doing.

And as he took her both hands in his, it clicked to her and she had to remind herself to breathe.

"Haruno Sakura, I love you. So much so that I can't live without you. I want you by my side, forever and always. Will you marry me?" he spoke softly, his deep charming voice sending thrills down Sakura's spine as she memorized his beautiful words.

And she couldn't even breathe, far less talk. But she managed a soft "Yes" that sounded weak and breathy to her own ears. But to Neji, it sounded like the most beautiful thing in the world. His heart sang as he stood and pulled her into his arms lifting her off her feet.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his chest as she breathed in his unique scent. The scent of her fiancé! She felt as if she would burst from the happiness. Her heart throbbed and whirled in her chest.

He looked into her bright emerald eyes, as she gazed into his silver orbs and the both of them marvelled at the amount of love contained in their lover's eyes. And in that moment, Sakura knew that she had found her one true love. The love every little girl dreams of, and she had found it with this perfect Hyuuga male.

He was all hers, just as she completely belonged to him, and that was the way it was going to be, forever and always.

**Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! Oh btw Kasanoda Arai is a figment of my imagination but i borrowed his name from 2 people of another anime/manga! can anyone guess which one?!**

**Thanks- Mai Sode no Shirayuki! :)**


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